January 22nd

Had Hillary won the election, I probably would have been celebrating her victory with tears of joy in my eyes, as many residents have done over Obama’s inauguration. I can only imagine what it must feel like for older African-Americans — who may have endured generations of subtle and not-so-subtle messages that they can’t succeed — to watch someone of their ethnicity secure the spot as our nation’s chief.

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Alexander pledges again to keep his eye on the ball to make good choices that will support the needs of Louisiana and his district. He was re-elected in a landslide vote, and we’ve said before that it speaks volumes about the support he has in the community and whether his actions are those the community wishes to see played out in Congress.

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There were plenty of giant television screens placed throughout the estimated crowd of more than 1 million in attendance, but that still didn’t guarantee a good line of sight.
“We were near a screen, but it was right behind us, so all we could see was the back of it,” Black said. “You could see the people on stage, but they looked like ants.

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January 21st

So, with the departure of the former Monroe Richwood High star, all eyes were on Tech (8-10, 2-3) this past weekend when they began their post-Cooper campaign with a Western Athletic Conference home contest against Idaho.
The ‘Dogs delivered an answer with a 74-63 victory.
This win was all about team, with all members of the squad — starters and reserves — making a contribution to help halt a three-game losing streak.
“This was about character,” said assistant coach Curtis Condie afterwards. “That was the theme for this game.”

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That those feeds sputtered from moment to moment is only of passing concern.
We were able to see it — here in the Ruston Daily Leader newsroom, where Editor Emily Nelson’s computer became our window to Washington — and across our nation.
That hit home when the Associated Press released information about the numbers who watched online.
CNN.com, to use one example, served more than 21 million individual live feeds beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday. The big networks served more, but there is debate on how long that supremacy will last.

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Obama told us we should reject the notion that our safety cannot be protected alongside the ideals that make our nation great. We cannot cut corners on our democracy and our sense of justice and right to make decisions easier and outcomes more to our liking.
While telling Americans this administration will be refocusing the efforts that have drawn on for years in Iraq, he also told us we are not pulling our heads into our shell because we feel our nation’s internal interests must come first.

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Obama’s wife, Michelle, the nation’s new first lady, held the Lincoln Bible as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the 35-word oath of office taken by every American president dating to George Washington.
The National Mall, which stretches from the foot of Capitol Hill west to the Lincoln Memorial, was jammed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, perhaps as many as a million, who came from across America and the globe to witness the historic transfer of power.

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January 20th

Whether you traveled to Washington, D.C., were at home watching TV or caught live streaming online video, the inauguration of Barack Obama today was a historic moment.
The excitement about the election and inauguration of the first African-American president has been building for months. Expectations of what Obama will do for our nation and our world are sky-high.
The truth is that there is a lot of hard work ahead for us. Obama has acknowledged this, and it is the reality of the current situation.

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“It’s been a great night with a good turnout and a great group of award winners,” Terry said. “Every year it seems we get a better and better group of winners who do an excellent job of serving our community.”
The Chamber held its annual gala last week at the Ruston Civic Center, handing out awards to an impressive group for their service to the community.
Winner of the Robert E. Russ Award for community was Tommy Folk.
Folk, a Ruston native and retired president of construction operations for T. L. James &

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“That was pretty neat and very much appreciated,” said junior defensive back Antonio Baker. “It was a great honor for all of us to be able to walk out and hear that kind of response from our fans. They were a big reason why we had a good year. Without them, it would not have been possible.”
The 10-minute ceremony featured a proclamation announcing a “Tech Football Day” throughout the city by Ruston Mayor Dan Hollingsworth and the presentation of the sparkling Independence Bowl trophy to coach Derek Dooley and Tech President Dan Reneau by bowl Chairman Keith Bergeron.

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